Marco Rubio opens Latin America tour with Colombia security and minerals deals

Barrancas,UPDATED: Sep 9, 2026 02:14 IST

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday began a three-nation tour of Latin America, meeting conservative leaders aligned with Washington as the Trump administration steps up military operations against drug trafficking and looks for wider gains in the Western Hemisphere on energy and illegal migration.

A week after the United States sealed a major oil deal with Venezuelan leaders, Rubio arrived in Colombia to meet President Abelardo de la Espriella. The two are expected to sign a civil nuclear cooperation deal and an agreement on critical minerals during Rubio’s visit to Barranquilla.

De la Espriella, who took office last month, is part of a new wave of right-wing conservative leaders in the region who have backed President Donald Trump’s approach on issues including drugs, immigration and energy. Rubio said the three countries on his tour share key priorities with Washington. “We have a lot of common interest with them, both taking on regional transnational criminal terrorism and also economic engagements,” he told reporters. “It’s part of a trend that you’re seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with US and US interests.”

Asked why he was not stopping in Venezuela, Rubio said he would visit “eventually”, but there was no time to add another stop. He also defended the Venezuela oil deal, saying the oil fields were “once dominated by China and Russia and Iran” but had never been tapped for production. Acting President Delcy Rodrguez agreed last week to give the US control of about one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world. While the deal could eventually generate billions for an economy weakened by years of mismanagement, many Venezuelans say they believe control of the country’s oil was the main objective when Trump ordered US forces in January to capture then-president Nicolas Maduro. Rubio said the oil fields are “going to generate royalties and revenues for the Venezuelan people, eventually through a democratically elected government – hopefully sooner rather than later – and directly benefit the people of Venezuela as opposed to going into the pocket of some, you know, corrupt government official or in the hands of American and Venezuelan adversaries”.

Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula said in a video released on Tuesday that Rubio’s visit marks the start of “rebuilding a strategic alliance with the United States, our main partner in the region”. He said Colombia would focus its discussions on security, including combating drug trafficking, trade and the defence of “shared values”. De la Espriella has promised a hard line against drug traffickers and has pledged to deport thousands of migrants in Colombia without residence permits, mainly Venezuelans, saying tighter immigration policies will reduce crime. After taking office, he took Colombia into the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition and strengthened long-running security ties with the United States after strained relations during the 2022-2026 administration of Gustavo Petro.

Rubio’s visit has also drawn criticism in Colombia. Former presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda, an ally of Petro, said on X that the visit appeared to be an “act of surrendering strategic aspects of our sovereignty”, especially because agreements involving “the country’s mineral and energy wealth” would be signed and matters of national security discussed. In his first month in office, De la Espriella has carried out at least three bombings against illegal armed groups and expanded military operations, though the deaths of several minors in the bombings have brought criticism from opposition leaders. He has also highlighted the results of military action, but faced criticism from the opposition and the state-run Ombudsman’s Office after displaying the bodies of alleged criminals in white bags on the ground next to seized ammunition.

Known as “El Tigre”, or The Tiger, De la Espriella has overhauled Colombia’s security policy and ended the peace talks launched by Petro, calling them a failed effort that only increased violence. Colombia continues to face armed groups fighting for control of areas important for drug trafficking and illegal mining, despite the peace deal signed with the FARC rebel group a decade ago. Rubio’s visit, set against the Venezuela deal and Colombia’s policy shift, underlines Washington’s push to deepen security, energy and political ties in the region.

With PTI Inputs

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